It is a wonderful feeling to know you will soon be hitting the road, and embarking on your first tour. Your gear and instruments are packed away in Rampart road cases and ready for the trip. Sure, you feel a little nervous. This might be the biggest audience you’ve ever played before. It is normal to have butterflies in your stomach. But rest assured, your fans will love you. However, that being said, there are a few things you may want to avoid doing on your first music tour. There are things that could turn this amazing opportunity into a complete nightmare.
Avoid Excessive Partying
You may know some people who become music stars just to enjoy the fame, the fortune, and the parties that comes with the fast paced music life. The problem is, when people start partying excessively on the road, unfortunate and dangerous things tend to happen. You may have heard the tragic story of DJ/Producer Zedd who had to cancel a concert in Boston’s House of Blues in 2013 after an overdose killed a fan. Typically, bands that choose to be professionals first, and avoid the problems of drug and alcohol addiction, tend to face less drama and problems on the road. Always party responsibly and make sure all the band members know the limit and the rules while on the road.
Do Not Snub Your Fans
Your fans pay good money to come see you perform. As a member of a touring band, it is your job, not only to play music, but also to market your band. It may not be evident now, but your future success depends on the marketing efforts you employ on tour now. There will never be another first tour for your band. The same is true for your fans. It is essential that you make your fans believe they are part of something extremely memorable–especially if you want them to pay to see you again. Liam Payne of One Direction had a bit of tough love from fans who accused him of not meeting fans enough at a Michigan Detroit concert. His grateful and apologetic tweet might have worked to ease the bad feelings though. The more of yourself you give to your fans, and the less untouchable you seem, and the more your fans will ultimately want to support you. It is a small price to pay for unrelenting fame, and increased success in your career.
Test Your Stage Crew For Accuracy
If you are going to hire people to set your stage show up for you, from lighting to special effects, you must be sure they do so correctly. This is not simply to ensure your show runs smoothly, but also so no one in the band or the audience gets hurt. Recently Luke Bryan’s Ohio State Concert was brought to an early end after the stage collapsed and several crew members were injured. If your crew does not take the small details seriously, you need to start worrying about what big details they fudged on too.
There are many mistakes a band will make on their first tour. Problems are to be expected. Experience and making everything run smoothly is something that simply comes with time in the industry. If your band uses a little common sense, most of the major and serious problems will be easily avoided. Those who adopt a professional air and responsibility early on, are the bands that generally end up being truly successful for years to come. The rest end up becoming little more than memories of what might have been.
